edit #1: extraordinary b&w studio edit of natalia vodianova, often topless, shot by mert/marcus. M&M shot the main edits here & alex white edited them & its some of the best fashion magazine work of 2006. NatiV poses here with an egyptian cat, a skull, a pirate ship, an apple but its not cliche at all they look sculptural & arty. as you know M&M's recent W work, espec the kate moss edits in last few years, are arguably the best fashion photos of the 21st century, and their work here is at that level. natalia is as beautiful as ever here, still childlike in face yet also more womanly in her body & vibe, sexual, fleshy, more mature than before. she looks amazing and sensuous & the looks here are mainly lingerie & bodysuit looks, alex white's pieces are superb. easily one of best edits of the year, and a perfect confluence of arty photos with modern fashion & model/magazine. rating 10 of 10
* M&M shot a cute head shot cover of nativ too, a little 60s, a little clockwork, a lot balenciaga, a great cover that also reflects classic 50s/60s fashion too.

edit #2: gemma, stam, raquel & du juan in acessories story by mert/marcus. major tribute here to guy bourdin with the saturated polychromes of cherry red, aqua blue & neon yellow. lots of lingerie very sexy a heavy 70s french style. M&M's use of colour photography here is virtuosic, influenced by bourdin & also a hyper-real Newton erotic feel. the girls are at their best too, raquel as freely sexy as she can be, shes prob the best brasilian girl of the century, more versatile than jeisa or ana claudia. gemma is stunning here pg 199 an open-legged red panty traffic stripe pic is among gemm's sexiest poses ever & she is clearly evincing a new level of sexual awareness in her modelling lately- its a breakthrough. totally amazing story in photos models clothes & general visual mag impact. rating 11 of 10.

edit #3 sasha & coco rocha shot by M&M again edited by alex white. more trad b&w studio edit here looks alot like a 60s british vogue shoot very david bailey. sasha is of course superb, a naughty sexy yet lolita like imp. coco is interesting cutesy but also a naughty troublemaker, equal parts irina underworld, debbie harry new wave, and retro clara bow humour. clothes are great here with a 60s mod & balenciaga twist. sasha is just amazing & this is a high quality studio shoot with retro london feel but simply not as extra-ordinary as 2 stories before. rating 8. 3 of 10.

VERDICT: 4 amazing edits, each one top class in its chosen way. the natalia is erotic & haunting. the accessories story is very bourdin/newton & as captivating as any Ive seen in 2006. M&M's sasha/coco shoot is also great but in a more trad london bailey way, but sasha excels. Watson's Vital art shoot is superb in that category. This is prob the most stunning W or american fashion magazine of 2006 so far. it truly delivers on W's promise of cutting edge models, clothing, photography all presented in an aesthetically-forward way that runs rings around conservative consumer phonebooks like US vogue or bazaar. M&M are so hot in these edits its stunning & alex white picked the clothes & the models to also deliver at the very top echelon of fashion & art magazine photography in the 21st century. stunning, amazing, truly great THREE BIG THUMBS UP BUY IT !!!!!!!